Understanding Anger

Hi there!

Welcome back to the MoodiNews. Every Thursday, we discuss a variety of matters related to mental health and self-improvement.

I’m so glad you’re here.

Today, we will be discussing the emotion: ANGER! YAY!

 

Last week, we reviewed the four essential components to every emotional experience:

1)    Prompting Event

2)    Biological Changes

3)    Behavioral Changes

4)    Aftereffects

Today, we will be reviewing these four components in the context of the emotion Anger.

 

The following are Prompting Events (i.e., Triggers) for Anger

Anger is an emotion that typically arises when:

  1. We or someone/something that we care about is being threatened or insulted

  2. We or someone/something that we care about is being attacked or hurt

  3. We (or our social group) loses power, status, or respect

  4. A goal or desired outcome that is important to us is blocked or interrupted

  5. We find ourselves in physical or emotional pain

Certain thoughts or feelings that can also trigger or escalate anger are:

  1. Self-righteousness or feeling like we’ve been treated unfairly

  2. Judgement or blaming others for our circumstances

  3. Believing that things are not as they ‘should’ or ‘ought’ to be

  4. Rumination or a rigid, obstinate mindset

  5. Believing that our future or safety is being threatened or imposed upon

 

The following are Biological Changes that arise with Anger

(i.e., The experience of what anger ‘feels’ like + its action urges)

Some physiological changes/sensations that commonly accompany anger are:

  1. The tightening up or clenching of muscles, jaw, or hands

  2. Feeling hot or a pressure building up internally (i.e., ‘explosive’)

  3. A strong internal desire to harm or attack what’s threatening us

  4. Feeling unable to fight tears

 

The following are Behavioral Changes that arise with Anger

(i.e., Voluntary and involuntary expressions of anger)

  1. Aggressive or confrontational behaviors (verbal or physical attacks; throwing, pounding, slamming, or destroying things; fighting back)

  2. Vocal escalation (raising one’s voice; swearing; making verbal threats; yelling loudly)

  3. Withdrawal (storming out; brooding; stonewalling/silent treatment)

  4. Showing or posturing displeasure (complaining; criticizing; frowning; tensing or planting the body in a condescending, imposing, or aggressive way; displaying sarcasm; grinning unkindly)

  5. Crying

The following are Aftereffects of Anger

(i.e., The adaptive function of anger)

  1. Narrowed attention (this increases our learning and memory formation after an event)

  2. Rumination about the situation (helps us review, process, or focus on self-protection in response to a situation)

  3. Recollection of similar events from the past (allows us to make sense of an event or extract meaning from the situation based on past experience)

  4. Imagining or preparing for similar events to occur again in the future (helps us avoid or prepare to protect ourselves from the same/similar threat in the future)

  5. Disconnection, dissociation, or numbness (allows for self-preservation during overwhelming psychological experiences, stress, or pain)

  6. Attending to the problem at hand (involves resolving a situation or rectifying the issue in question)

 

In summation, anger is a VERY important and useful emotion.

Its overall function is to keep us safe and motivate us to protect whatever matters most to us.

Next week, we will talk more about how to regulate—or manage—the emotion anger.

Happy Thursday!

Ann DuevelComment